Whenever a company learns or choose to ignore red flags regarding the safety of their premises, any member of the public who sets foot there is at risk of serious injury or death. Most people do not think about the fact that land or business owners have a responsibility to protect the public that they invite onto their premises from the dangerous acts of others.

Let me give you an example. If a company wants you to come into their grocery store and buy their goods but does nothing about the gang in the parking lot that robs every customer that walks out of the store, are you going to shop there? OR are you going to go to the parking lot that has great lighting, security officers patrolling, and you feel safe?

Inadequate security means the facility you are shopping or living at provides you with adequate security to live or shop safely.

Where Are These Cases Most Frequent?

We typically see these types of cases involving dangerous apartment complexes, bars and clubs, restaurants that serve alcohol, nursing homes, and stores that sell goods (for example, a place like a Walmart, Target and other grocery stores).

What Can Apartment Complexes Do To Protect Us?

An apartment complex should have gates surrounding the property and limiting the entrance of unwanted guests. The parking lots and buildings should be well-lit to prevent criminals from being able to easily hide. All doors and windows should have working locks. All alarm systems should be in working order. There should be security cameras that work and record. You do not only want a live feed system. This does not allow anyone to come in after the fact to see what should have been caught. Also, a live feed must be monitored. What happens when it is not? Security guards are a start, especially at night. However, off-duty police officers are typically better. They can alert the on-duty police earlier to the area and allow faster response to their location that a typical 911 call would. Off-duty officers can also call in a warning to the police department and not be charged for it or penalized as crying wolf.

Why Are Restaurants or Bars/Clubs Dangerous?

Anytime you mix alcohol and humans, tempers can flare and fights can erupt. While most people are capable of having a great time in these environments and never causing harm, there are those few bad apples that can spoil it all for the rest of us. Do you want to take your family to a restaurant that allows violent people into the place or to stay causing a scene and usually a fight? Any place that allows kids and families to dine or have fun needs to protect them from people that are out to hurt others.

What we have seen lately are bars and clubs that serve alcohol to minors. This creates an atmosphere that does not want attention. So, when a dangerous event occurs or a fight erupts, it is not brought to anyone's attention. Even worse, nothing is done to stop or prevent it from happening again.

What Do We Look For In These Cases?

We want to know what the company knew could have happened at their place due to crimes at surrounding areas or prior events at their facility. We then want to know what the company should have known about what could happen on their property or at their facility. Then, we want to see what they did or should have done to prevent that from happening. It is really simple: did the company, whether apartment complex, store or restaurant, provide adequate security to keep its employees and customers safe?

For example, if someone was shot and killed as a result of a drive-by shooting that could have been prevented. If you were raped in a parking garage when the company knew that a rapist was on the loose in that parking garage but did not provide security or warn you prior to parking there. If a company allowed a fight club to exist on their premises and a loved one was jumped and beaten to death. These all are examples of inadequate security cases.

Where Can You Learn More?

At The Button Law Firm, we spend a lot of our time and energy on these cases making our community safer. We want our clients and their families to live in safe apartment complexes. We want our clients and their families to go to safe restaurants or have a nice night out on the town without having to worry about a company that is an open invitation for crime to its customers or employees.

If you or a family member were injured or killed at an apartment complex, restaurant, bar, club, or any other companies premises, feel free to reach out to us for your free consultation and allow us to investigate your case for you. We take these cases seriously because they impact our community in so many different ways. We need to clean this epidemic up, and it can start today with your case. Together we can make a difference.